To Every Thing There is a Season...the Wayfarer 2 Feb 13

2 Feb 13

To Every Thing There is a Season

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

We take today’s message from scripture that Jesus was very familiar with. It is attributed to Solomon, and the entire book is full of wisdom that is truly applicable both in his time and in our own. This particular passage today is one of my most favorites in the Old Testament. I find it both comforting in times of tribulation and sorrow, and instructional, when I find a need for direction in my daily life. We need to be aware that everything that happens has a purpose, whether it is immediately discernable to us or not. The 2^nd verse continues:

“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing,; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:2-8)

We are often so self-centered that we fail to realize the importance of the things that occur around us. We need to be aware that whatever occurs has a function in the whole of our lives.

We are born according to the schedule preordained by God himself, and despite our knowledge and abilities, we will die on that same schedule.

 Just as the farmers must plant, tend and reap the crops in accordance with the seasons of sun and rain and cold, so must we live our lives attending to the schedule of what happens to us daily, monthly and annually.

 There is indeed a time to kill, in defense of self, family, or nation. There must also be a commensurate time of healing thereafter. Just as Europe was destroyed during WWII, and rebuilt thereafter, this also is in accordance with the schedule preset by our creator!

Every human must, because of his humanity, suffer through times of sorrow, but we must not dwell in that sorrow forever, but find the time of joy that is there for us when we look for it.

We need to recognize the necessity of gathering stones (saving for the future), and the necessity of casting away of those stones when the time for their use is over.

 We need to recognize the need for human companionship and embrace both that need and our fellows when it is necessary, and the need to separate ourselves from it when it becomes a burden that no longer produces mutual personal enrichment, whether spiritual, or physical.

There is indeed a time to get the things we need in life, and a time to cast away the things which when kept will only destroy us.

 There is a time to tear away parts of our lives that cause grief, and a time to sew together the salvageable components of it.

The time to keep silent is often the most overlooked because of our tendency to speak without thinking, without first examining what is truly in our heart and what the results of that speech will eventually be, whatever we intend at the time.

There is also a time to speak what is in your heart and soul. Withholding the thoughts and words would be far more damaging than speaking them. There is a time to speak up for others that we may not ignore, and a time for action on their behalf.

 Love is a necessity that must not be overlooked; it is a requirement in our lives. The is an innate part of our being that also may not be totally suppressed, but must be controlled and contained to the time that exists for it.

 There will always be a time for wars between the forces of good and evil. The trick is often to discern which is which. There is also always a time for peace, a time to put away past differences and build a future for our progeny.

The 9^th verse continues:

“What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth?

I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink,  and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is  the gift of God.”

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13

What profit indeed! Our lives are spent running to and fro, working to build a life for ourselves and our family. More often than not, the work consumes us and becomes the purpose for which we think we live. We forget that the purpose of the work is to fill the needs and wants, not to replace them.

God made everything beautiful, and for a purpose. If we look to that purpose, and use what is given us for that purpose, we will have a life that is meaningful instead of empty, filled only with things!

No matter how hard we work, no matter the vastness of our knowledge, we will never be able to get to the same level as God himself.

We need to accept that He alone is omnipotent, and omniscient, and that this is reserved to Him alone.

 Once we come to that acceptance, we can enjoy what He has given us and use our abilities to further His purpose, that of LOVE!

Then and only then may we eat, drink, and enjoy the good of our labor which is after all a gift of God!

The 14^th verse continues:

“I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:14 & 15)

 There is nothing that we see, know or do that is new, God has seen done and known all before us.

 The choices that we make daily have been made by others before us, and will be made again by those who follow us. It is a requirement that we make our own mistakes in spite of the knowledge and wisdom passed down to us. This is our destiny until the end and final judgment.

Perhaps we may make our decisions in a better manner if we attempt to apply the lessons learned by those before us, but in the end, it is Gods’ will, and plan that will dominate and dictate the outcome of our lives.

That is why it is critical that we accept Jesus as Savior and allow him to intercede on our behalf, without this we are without hope in the resurrection.

The 16^th verse continues:

“And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. I said in mine heart God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work”

I will conclude here. This statement reiterates what I just said above, God is the final judge; it is His judgment that we need to fear, not the judgment or lack of accolades given by mankind.

Solomon finishes out this particular chapter bemoaning the fact that all mankind is too blind to recognize that their purpose on earth is more than to gather riches for themselves, and that those very riches will not carry over into the afterlife.

None of us know how the things we work for will be used, or by whom they will be used after our death.

 The only surety of what we pass on is in the things we teach our children, the values we give them, the wisdom we allow them to get from the scripture, and the knowledge of a love that will endure past our earthly existence through Christ Jesus if they are only taught and believe.

 If we pass on the things of God, we have given them riches beyond our ability to earn here on this earth!

Once more I salute my brethren and sisters in Christ with the love of a sinner saved by the grace of God through the blood sacrifice of my savior, JESUS,

                                                             AMEN and AMEN

the Wayfarer